Fiji News

Climate change included in Health Ministry action plan

For the first time, the Health Ministry is including Climate Change into its action plan for the next five years.

Several factors have contributed towards the initiative.

According to Minister Rosy Akbar, one such factor is the current trend of mosquito borne diseases like Dengue, Diarrhoea and typhoid which she says is attributed to Climate Change.

“The recent emergence of new diseases such as chickengunya and Zika in the recent pass is also attributed to changing climate, climate change and natural disasters also have an indirect impact on NCD’s as our people are forced to resort to process food to survive.”

Akbar says focusing on the link between diseases and climate change will help prepare them in case of future outbreaks.